1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to night lights to provide low-level illumination in a room or passageway, and more particularly to a night light assembly which carries a picture of an object having a characteristic odor, the picture being illuminated by the light, the assembly also exuding an aromatic vapor whose fragrance is thematically related to the pictured object.
2. State of the Art
A bedroom which is excessively bright or which has a disagreeable odor is not conducive to sleep. Hence in considering the sleeping conditions of a room, one must not only seek to minimize noise and other disturbances, but one must also arrange for the proper degree of lighting and take steps to ensure a pleasing atmosphere.
A totally dark room is not the ideal environment for sleeping, for it may be psychologically depressing to the occupant. Moreover, should the sleeper awaken and then move about the dark room, he may collide with furniture and other articles therein. Where the sleeping room is a child's nursery, a minimum degree of light is desirable. Young children are often fearful of complete darkness; and should a parent wish to check on the sleeping child without turning on the room light, a low-level night light which is already "on" is useful for this purpose.
The prevailing atmosphere of a room is a more subtle factor in regard to sleep. However well cleaned a room, if it has carpeting, draperies or other fabrics, these tend to retain odors such as stale tobacco smoke. Hence it is often the practice to make use in bedrooms or nurseries of commercially available air fresheners.
The conventional night light consists of an electrical socket which is integrated with a plug to be inserted into an electrical wall outlet, a low-wattage bulb being held in the socket which also supports a small shade. A night light of this type which provides low-level illumination is purely utilitarian in function and appearance, and it makes no useful or decorative contribution to the room apart from low-level illumination.
The use of light bulbs to illuminate a picture slide is commonplace, for all commercial slide projectors include a light bulb to supply the required light. And the use of light bulbs as heat sources to volatilize an aromatic liquid held in a pan or impregnating a porous pad is also well known, as evidenced by the patents to Eisner U.S. Pat. No. 2,374,371; Gudeman, U.S. Pat. No. 1,403,648, and Schlesinger, U.S. Pat. No. 2,435,757.
In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,250 (1985) there is disclosed a night light assembly which plugs directly into an electrical wall outlet to provide low level illumination while at the same time generating an aromatic vapor whose odor is thematically related to a replaceable picture slide incorporated in the assembly and illuminated thereby.
The assembly includes a shell supported by a plug projecting from its rear and insertable into the wall outlet. Housed in the shell is a low-wattage bulb, the shell being covered by a removable frame within which is nested the picture slide to be illuminated. Coated on the rear face of the slide is a translucent layer having a volatile aromatic liquid dispersed therein. The shell is vented, and as the air in the shell is heated and expanded by heat arising from the bulb, a convection current is produced which passes across the slide layer to volatilize the liquid, thereby creating an aromatic vapor which is discharged through the vent into the atmosphere.
There are several practical drawbacks in the night light assembly disclosed in my prior art patent. When illuminated by the bulb, the picture slide is then clearly visible and attractive. But when the bulb is turned off, as is usually the case during daytime hours, then the slide, as with conventional photographic slides, assumes a dull gray color. Thus, one looking at the switched-off night light assembly sees no picture but only a dark slide, so that the night light assembly then has a rather unattractive appearance.
The more serious drawback of my prior night light assembly is that the orientation of the slide depends on the orientation of the electrical wall outlet into which the assembly is plugged, and this orientation is not consistent and varies from outlet to outlet.
The typical electrical plug has a parallel pair of flat metal prongs and these go into the complementary connector openings in the wall outlet. These connector openings in many cases lie in the vertical plane, and in other instances lie in the horizontal plane, depending on how the outlet is installed. Hence when the plug of the night light assembly is inserted in the outlet, the assembly will have a vertical orientation or a horizontal orientation, depending on the existing outlet installation.
In my prior patented arrangement, the picture slide has a predetermined orientation, and it will therefore be properly oriented only when the outlet has the same orientation. If, therefore, the picture is that of a tree which has a vertical orientation, the tree will appear to be horizontal in the event the outlet has a horizontal orientation.
Another problem in my prior arrangement wherein a gel having a volatile aromatic liquid dispersed therein is coated on the rear surface of a picture slide is that this combination does not have an indefinite shelf life. Thus, if this slide is stored for a prolonged period, there may be an adverse interaction between the gel and the slide.
Of background interest are the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
3,248,530, 4/1966, Titmas PA0 3,443,083, 5/1969, Curran PA0 3,531,635, 9/1970, Hancock PA0 3,780,260, 12/1973, Elsner PA0 4,070,777, 1/1978, LoGiudice PA0 4,072,855, 2/1978, Marchese PA0 4,163,998, 8/1979, Anderson et al. PA0 4,493,011, 1/1075, Spector